This summer’s exam results have once again shown the persistence of regional disparities in educational attainment. Across A levels and GCSEs, the gap in top grades between the North East and London has actually widened.
But while there is a growing North-South divide in educational attainment, it is wrong to suggest that this is due to a divide in school performance. The truth is that our current measurements of school performance are not fit for purpose, and that too often economic and geographical factors are mistakenly presented as educational ones. And that leads us to perpetuating ineffectual policy.
